The Medicine Hall's assessment area was the same place where Yang Chan had taken the examination to become an Official Disciple. All of the Medicine Hall's assessments were held here, including the one for Pharmacists.
'As for the Pharmacist assessment, I'll need to put in some more effort and spend some Potential Points. Once I reach Tier Two, I should be ready.'
'Right now, my understanding of Medicinal Qi and the principles of combining medicinal properties isn't yet at a Pharmacist's level. But that's just a matter of time. And time is something I have plenty of right now.'
'First, I'll become a Pharmacist's Assistant. That way, I can do tasks within the Sect. Otherwise, other disciples are assigned to go on several missions outside the Sect each year. Although the missions aren't very difficult, accidents always happen, and some people die.'
During this time, Yang Chan had heard that some of the powers under the Cyan Yuan Sect's protection had defected to other factions like Lingyu Palace, Taiyu Valley, and the Nanhua Sword Sect. It seemed these forces had joined together to move against the Cyan Yuan Sect.
Most of the Cultivation Resources in Qing State were held by the Cyan Yuan Sect. These other factions had long coveted them and were naturally making a move to seize them.
This was especially true in a year of severe drought and famine. The impact was immense, and with internal conflicts already brewing, they chose to strike outwards, using external forces to resolve their internal strife.
When a great war like this broke out, the disciples of the Sect were nothing but consumables. Yang Chan couldn't change the grand course of events, and he didn't want to be a consumable, so his only choice was to walk the path of a Pharmacist.
After all, Pharmacist's Assistants and Pharmacists were generally not sent into battle, as they weren't easy to cultivate.
This was particularly true for Pharmacists, who were even more difficult and time-consuming to train than Elite Disciples.
Yang Chan and Du Xiaolin arrived at the Medicine Hall's assessment area. After explaining their purpose to the disciple on duty, they were scheduled for the Pharmacist's Assistant assessment.
The two were separated and led to different rooms.
Yang Chan didn't wait long before a Pharmacist came over to conduct his assessment.
Yang Chan had seen this person before. He was known as Pharmacist Xu. There were over sixty Pharmacists in the entire Medicine Hall, a portion of whom would venture to remote places to search for herbs and research new concoctions, as some ingredients had to be used immediately after being picked.
Therefore, to create such medicines, one could only travel to where the herbs grew to compound them on-site.
Other Pharmacists were more interested in pharmacological research, traveling to test various herbs in order to create even better medicines.
Over forty Pharmacists remained within the Cyan Yuan Sect, but with the onset of chaos, many who had been away were now returning.
The Pharmacist Xu before him, however, had been in the Cyan Yuan Sect for many years, spending most of his time in the Medicine Hall. The reason Yang Chan knew of him was that he had once seen the man in the Medicine Hall Collection Pavilion, borrowing a medical text.
At that time, someone had mentioned this Pharmacist Xu Gaocen by name.
'Since he's the one assessing me, it's highly likely he's looking to recruit a Pharmacist's Assistant for himself. Pharmacists usually conduct the assessments personally, only passing those they find suitable. If the results are good but the Pharmacist feels their personalities don't match, they'll arrange a second assessment with a different Pharmacist, which is like getting a second chance.'
'I know this man hasn't left the Cyan Yuan Sect in years and spends most of his time in the Medicine Hall. He seems like a good choice. If I'm going to be a Pharmacist's Assistant, it would be best if my master is someone who stays inside the Cyan Yuan Sect. It wouldn't be good if my Pharmacist decided to go traveling on a whim.'
"You must be Yang Chan?"
Pharmacist Xu Gaocen looked at Yang Chan, his voice steady and unhurried as he spoke.
"Yes. This disciple, Yang Chan, pays his respects to Pharmacist Xu."
Yang Chan replied.
"How long have you been studying the *Medicine Scripture*?"
"One month. This disciple was previously a Medicinal Herb Collection Boy and learned about common herbs and their Medicinal Properties, so I was able to memorize the common ones a bit faster."
"Having been a Medicinal Herb Collection Boy is a good foundation. In that case, I will now begin asking you about these common herbs. Tell me in detail about the functions, effects, and related knowledge of Gentiana."
"Gentiana has many aliases, such as Lingyou, Cao Longdan, Longdan, and so on. It is a type of herb that clears heat and dries dampness. Its properties are primarily bitter and cold, and it corresponds to the liver and gallbladder meridians. Its main effects are to clear heat, dry dampness, and purge liver fire..."
"And Xanthium Seed?"
"Xanthium Seed is an herb that corresponds to the lung and liver meridians. Its main effects are to disperse wind-cold, unblock the nasal passages, expel wind-dampness, and relieve pain. It also..."
"Peony Bark."
"Peony Bark is also known as Dan Gen Pi, Dan Pi, and Dan Gen. It has the effects of clearing heat, cooling the blood, invigorating blood circulation, and dispelling stasis. It can be used for maculae caused by warm toxins, vomiting blood due to blood-heat, yin impairment from febrile disease, yin-deficiency fever, fever at night that subsides by morning..."
"Forsythia Suspensa, Honeysuckle, Scutellaria baicalensis, Zi Xuan, Paris..."
"Forsythia Suspensa is..."
"I have brought some herbs with me. Name each of them, then explain their Medicinal Properties."
"These are Jing Tian, Erigeron acris, and Vincetoxicum paniculatum... Their effects are as follows: Vincetoxicum paniculatum is used to dispel wind and dampness, move qi and invigorate blood, relieve pain and itching, and detoxify and reduce swelling..."
Throughout the entire Q&A, Pharmacist Xu Gaocen was extremely thorough. Seeing that Yang Chan could answer everything, his questioning grew faster and faster, and he began asking about several herbs at once.
Of the one thousand two hundred fifty-three common herbs, Pharmacist Xu Gaocen selectively questioned him on three hundred seventy-eight of them.
Some questions involved presenting the physical herbs, while others were just based on their names.
Even after Yang Chan finished his answers, the pharmacist never said whether he was right or wrong, simply moving on to the next question.
By the end of the entire process, beads of sweat had formed on Yang Chan's forehead. It wasn't from nervousness, but from the mental strain of recalling so much information from memory, which caused him to sweat naturally.
It wasn't just Yang Chan; Pharmacist Xu Gaocen, who was doing the questioning, was the same. Yang Chan wasn't the only one recalling information; the pharmacist had to as well, and from a much larger pool of mixed memories.
"Tell me, why do you wish to become a Pharmacist's Assistant?"
This time, Xu Gaocen's question was no longer about the common herbs from the *Medicine Scripture*, but about other matters.
"My Martial Arts Talent is average, so I cannot be certain of achieving greatness on that path. The path of a Pharmacist, however, has shown me a glimmer of hope."
"Furthermore, I've been around medicinal herbs since I was a child and have always felt a natural affinity for the profession of a Pharmacist. When I learned it was possible to become a Pharmacist's Assistant in the Medicine Hall, I began studying the *Medicine Scripture* to take part in this assessment."
Hearing this question, Yang Chan knew he had passed Pharmacist Xu Gaocen's test on common herbs. Now, the man was just inquiring about his personal situation.
'It's similar to the job interviews from my past life. Once you pass the technical part, they start asking about your commute, willingness to work overtime, salary expectations, and so on, before making a final decision.'
"I happen to need a Pharmacist's Assistant myself. The job involves helping me organize various medicinal herbs, sorting them by age, efficacy, and so on. Of course, when I have time, I will also teach you how to perform detailed analyses of medicinal effects."
Xu Gaocen was explaining his own situation. Although the Pharmacist held the dominant position in the relationship with an assistant, the choice was still a matter of mutual agreement.
By stating the advantages of working for him, Xu Gaocen was also indicating his own capabilities—a display of confidence.